Make Your Point > Archived Issues > COMPLIANT

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pronounce COMPLIANT: Say it "come PLY unt." To hear it, click here. connect this word to others: Compliant people are yielding. They follow the rules and do as they're told. They're willing, obedient, and controllable. In other words, they're tr___able: easy to manage, as if willing to be dragged around. They're m____able: easily influenced, as if bending into shape beneath blows from a hammer. And they're p__able: easily bending, flexible, adaptable, easy to persuade, or easy to influence. Could you recall those three synonyms? (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)    definition: The word "comply" has Latin bits that literally mean "to fill completely," and less literally, "to completely finish something, or to totally fulfill something." Hundreds of years ago in English, "comply" had that same general meaning: to fulfill something, to accomplish something, to get something completely done. Over time, the meaning narrowed. Today, to comply is to do as you're told: to completely obey or fulfill someone else's wishes, demands, requests, or instructions. So, compliant people are those who are willing to obey orders, or willing to follow rules. grammatical bits: Part of speech: Adjective: "a compliant worker," "Not all patients are compliant with their medications." Other forms:  Comply, complies, complying. The noun is "compliance," or less commonly, "compliancy." And the adverb is "compliantly." how to use it: "Compliant" is a common, formal word that helps you strike a dry, serious, businesslike tone. We talk about compliant people, especially in roles and situations where they lack power and are expected to follow rules. So, we often talk about compliant children, students, employees, citizens, patients, drivers, passengers, and prisoners. We also talk about people being compliant with the rules or expectations, or being in compliance with those rules. And although it's usually people who are compliant, we can also talk about compliant manners, attitudes, and personalities, and sometimes compliant things. "This old building needs updates to be compliant with safety regulations." examples: "In the 1999 movie 'The Matrix,' humanity is enslaved by machines that maintain a simulation of reality to keep everyone compliant."    — Glenn Kenny, New York Times, 7 September 2018    "Mobile phone etiquette has become an issue in overseas theaters... Compliance is better in Hong Kong, where patrons generally heed a message urging them to turn off or silence their phones before the movie."     — Associated Press, 20 June 2011 has this page helped you understand "compliant"? Awesome, I'm glad it helped! Thanks for letting me know! If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. study it: Explain the meaning of "compliant" without saying "rule-following" or "obedient." try it out: A writer for the Guardian complained: "To be an acceptable woman is to be feminine and that means being compliant and smiley... The current public image of businesswomen in this country is one who bakes cupcakes and who injects Botox." Talk about what she means, and whether or not you agree. Do you think our society tends to admire (and reward) compliant girls and women? Or do we just accept and approve compliant people, regardless of gender? Are boys and men "allowed" to be less compliant and still earn approval? If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.) before you review, play: Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out. Our game for this month: MYP Anagrams! Rearrange the letters in the given word to form a word we've studied before. For example, if I give you THREAD, you give me DEARTH. To see the answer, scroll all the way down. Try this one today: Rearrange the letters in SURE to make a noun.  To peek at the clues, highlight the hidden white text below.    The definition is… any sneaky little trick, especially the kind that helps you avoid getting caught    The first letter is… R review this word: 1. The opposite of COMPLIANT is A. EAGER. B. REFRACTORY (stubborn, rebellious, and hard to manage). C. SOLIPSISTIC (extremely self-centered, as if denying the reality of other people). 2. In a sci-fi movie, government officials pump a chemical into the air to render the population compliant. It works too well: everyone _____. A. sits down peacefully, eats nothing, and eventually dies B. gains telepathic powers, then easily overthrows the government C. morphs into muscled, aggressive, unstoppable loggers, razing the planet's forests Answers to the review questions: 1. B 2. A Answer to the game question: Ruse. A ruse is any sneaky little trick, especially the kind that helps you avoid getting caught. a final word: I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog: On vocabulary...       36 ways to study words.       Why we forget words, & how to remember them.       How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. On writing...       How to improve any sentence.       How to motivate our kids to write.       How to stop procrastinating and start writing.       How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count. From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.